Aayushi Srivastava –
Published on: November 05, 2021 at 15:25 IST
Jeff Bezos’ latest legal attempt to cancel NASA’s $2.9 Billion moon landing contract with Elon Musk’s SpaceX was denied by a US Federal Court on 4th November 2021.
The government move to dismiss the action filed on 16th August 2021, was granted by Judge Richard Hertling of the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington.
The Judge’s explanation of his rationale, and several other papers in the case, were sealed awaiting a hearing this month to discuss recommended redactions.
In August, Blue Origin filed a lawsuit against NASA, alleging that the agency improperly granted SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract in April to undertake the first two missions.
The disputed launches are part of Artemis, NASA’s main mission to establish an American presence on the moon’s surface. The coveted contract to land humans on the moon would have given Blue Origin a major boost in credibility.
Expressing his disappointment Bezos, wrote on Twitter “Not the decision we wanted, but we respect the court’s judgment, and wish full success for NASA and SpaceX on the contract.”
NASA said on 4th November, “There will be forthcoming opportunities for companies to partner with NASA in establishing a long-term human presence at the Moon under the agency’s Artemis program, including a call in 2022 to U.S. industry for recurring crewed lunar landing services.”
There were no comments from SpaceX.
Click Here to Read/Download the Order
Also Read: Federal Court temporally holds Oklahoma Executions
New Colorado Districts set on approval of Supreme Court